Reasons for Trouble in Central Park

Article excerpt

Thank you for your June 19 article, "Central Park attacks on
women - is MTV to blame?" This is a good question to ask. MTV, Black
Entertainment Television, movies and television producers, and
others who glorify antiwomen violence are culpable, as well as the
rest of society.

Sam Cacas San Francisco

Regarding "Central Park attacks on women - is MTV to blame?": The
reporter has inadvertently found the cause of the increasing
desensitization and desocialization among youths. Perhaps the
problem is not MTV, but poor parenting. As quoted in the article,
Myriam Miedzian, author of "Boys Will Be Boys: Breaking the Link
between Masculinity and Violence" says, "... with 70 percent of
mothers of young children working out of the home, how can parents
monitor everything?" Maybe the problem is not with TV, but with
people having children they either cannot afford or raise
responsibly.

Mike Fleuette Newton, Mass.

Global warming and nuclear power

The debate about global climate change is likely to go beyond
when we can anything to prevent harm, should it occur ("It's a
drought - no, flood," June 8). The only prudent course we can take
is do things that reduce the likelihood of man-made climate change,
and that are also economic. These include using less energy by
improving the efficiency of industry, appliances, and automobiles.
It also means continuing to use nuclear power.

Nuclear power currently has some of the lowest electricity
production costs and produces no greenhouse gases, thus keeping
existing plants should be a priority. Besides, the increasing
severity and number of electricity blackouts makes it ever more
essential that we retain this source of energy.

We can be smart about global climate change, regardless of
whether it is due to man's influence. Keeping nuclear power as an
energy option is leading indicator of our prudence and intelligence
on this issue.

John Sillin Potomac, Md

Age-old German experts

Regarding "Medieval ways stifle in Web age" (June 9): This
otherwise very interesting article failed to mention the benefits of
the German (and widespread European) system of "master's licenses. …